NCJ Number
143404
Journal
Journal of Interpersonal Violence Volume: 8 Issue: 2 Dated: (June 1993) Pages: 193-197
Date Published
1993
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This introduction to a series of articles on rape identifies the issues to be addressed and notes the significance of this offense for American society.
Abstract
Although interest in the topic of rape has increased to record levels, controversy remains in a number of important areas, notably the scope of rape, the psychological impact of rape, the best methods for treating rape-related problems, and rape prevention. The four articles address these issues. The article on the scope of rape discusses how rape is defined and the implications of rape definitions and other methodological procedures for the measurement of the lifetime prevalence of rape. The author concludes that the underreporting of rape is a more salient problem for research on rape prevalence than fabrication. In another article, a review of research findings on the psychological impact of rape indicates that the psychological impact of rape is both broad and persistent. After reviewing conflicting results of research on variables that affect recovery, the author concludes that better theoretical models must be developed before definitive research can be done. A third article reviews the treatment of rape victims; methodological criteria for effective treatment outcome studies are identified. The concluding article discusses sexual assault prevention, noting that both prevention efforts and research on them have been weak. 12 references